give more; spend less

Today is Advent Sunday. This is a season that we, as Christians, prepare for the coming of Jesus. I want this season to be about more than running around to parties, fighting the traffic and getting the right gift. In preperation our family went and served Thanksgiving lunch downtown at Brownstone's Free Thanksgiving Dinner. It felt good to be take a small amount of our time and help out those who are under resourced.

Last year our church introduced us to The Advent Conspiracy.
The AC encourages congregations to, "think of meaningful acts of kindness as meaningful gift options to replace traditional gifts." This grassroots movement also supports Living Water International. LWI is addressing the world's water crisis in Ethiopia, Brazil, Haiti, and Mexico just to name a few places.

Another organization that has recently entered the scene in the Ian Somerhalder Foundation. They want to, "empower, educate and collaborate with people and projects to positively impact the planet and its creatures." Vampire Support has teamed up with the IS Foundation and is selling t-shirts where, "All profits made will go directly to the IS Foundation. [The foundation] will set aside the money from the shirts for projects with The National Wildlife Federation and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill clean up efforts."

If you are interested in supporting an organization that's goal is to end poverty and hunger, you may want to give to Heifer International. We had the opportunity to tour Heifer International's green office in Little Rock, AR several years ago. HI believes that they can't end world hunger without also saving the earth. Their philosophy is offer a long term solutions by empowering those in poverty and encouraging them to pass along their knowledge and the off spring of their animal to others is their community.

Rice and Bean Ministry is trying to feed 500 families for a month. It takes approximately 100 to feed each family. I know Fred and his team would appreciate your support. They are, of course, trying to feed families all year around in Costa Rica. It only cost $10 dollars to buy a bag a food to feed a family for a week.

If you are ready to give more and spend less (two of the AC founding principles) I encourage you to consider giving some of what you would normal spend on Christmas gift to one of these worthwhile causes.

precious presents

We are fast approaching the holiday season and with that, for some reason, the Christmas shopping season. This Friday is the dreaded Black Friday, named so because this is the day that retailers go from being in the red to being in the black.

Once again I want to challenge you not to fall into the commercialism of the season. One rebellious group, The Adbusters, are campaigning for us to join Buy Nothing Day where you can pledge to not shop from sunrise to sunset on November 26th. I think this is an interesting proposition, since we Americans have more waste that any other country. So, in addition to not shopping on Black Friday I want you to consider some other ways you can make changes this holiday season.

Did you know that 1.8 million people in under resourced countries die every year from dirty drinking water. The Advent Conspiracy who tells us to worship fully, spend less, give more and love all, is asking for support for Living Water International . There is a wonderful video where Chris Seay explains, from the streets of Haiti, how you can spend your Christmas money to save lives.

Samaritan's Purse offers aid to the worlds poor and sick. They have emergency relief programs that provide assistance to victims of war, famine, disease, and natural disaster. At Christmas time you can pack a shoe box and have it sent to a needy child through their Operation Christmas Child program. Their vision is through the story of the good Samaritan.

Fred Curry, of Rice and Beans Ministry, in Costa Rica is asking for support in reaching out to the poor people in the coastal, central and south pacific. Just ten dollars will feed a family for 4 days.

Of course there are children right here in the US that go to bed hungry every day. Many of these kids rely on the school lunch program to receive nutritious meals. On weekends and holidays there the program, Feeding America, that offers additional food through their Backpack Program. They fill children's backpacks with nonperishable and easily consumed food the day before the weekend or holiday. Our church is partnered with a local school and we provide these backpacks,. We are always in need of more backpacks and money to purchase food due to the increasing numbers of qualified applicants.

So, instead of giving into the commercialism of the season, I am begging you, please consider participating in one of these programs or look into another programs in you region where you can give the most precious gift.

Rice & Beans Ministry

Rice and Beans Ministry helps feed hungry families year around in Costa Rica through the United Methodist Church. Over the past several months I have had the pleasure of getting to know the director, Fred Curry. He began working in missions in 1990 and in Costa Rica in 1996. He established Rice and Beans Ministry in June of 2007. Along with the goal of providing families with enough food for a week, Rice and Beans is trying to build churches, provide medical care and assist in providing uniforms for children so that they can attend school.

It is currently the rainy season in Costa Rica and recently a tropical storm dumped even more rain on the already saturated land. We received reports of flooding, land and rock slides that trapped many people cutting them off from any assistance. Simple homes of plastic sheeting and dirt floors were washed into the rivers along with many families. Local stores are out of food and there is no way to get help. Rice and Beans has been working to house, feed, and clothe the survivors, but they need your help.

If you would like to support these efforts or participate in a mission trip please visit the Rice and Beans Ministry website here.

Serving Others

What does it mean to serve others? My DH works in the hospitality industry. He is there to serve five days a week for twelve or more hours a day. He's out there serving others on Mother's Day and Valentine's Day when I’d like to have him all to myself. Of course he’s great at what he does, no matter how tired or frustrated he’s feeling, he make the customer feel special by serving them.

Our pastor, Eddie, recently preached on what Jesus said about service to others. He said that there will be no glory, no power, no honor or privilege. He uses words like deny yourself and lose your life. I think that’s why so many of us are resistant to going out there and serving. In John Ed Mathison’s book, Treasures of the Transformed Life he says that 20% of the people in the church do 80% of the work. How can we say we’re willing to launch into the life God has for us when we don’t do what He has told us needs to be done?

We make following Jesus about all sorts of things. We hear people say that we have to have certain political views if we are Christians, but Jesus is not about political power. Some people think they’re morally superior or they try and participate in the right activities, but they are completely missing the point.

Eddie told a story about his father repairing a boat motor that had been given to him because he thought of himself as a handyman. He told us how his dad had to lower the motor into an oil drum filled with water to watch it churn the water because they didn’t own a boat. Those people that are telling us how to vote, or where to spend our time, money and energy all in the name of God are doing just what that boat motor did in that oil drum, they are churning the water.

Jesus is not talking about some church sanctioned project either. Not that there’s anything wrong with serving through the Rice and Beans Ministry, or leading Vacation Bible School with the Navajo Nation Ministry Mission, but servant-hood is not a project, it’s a lifestyle. Servant-hood is not about where you think you should be tomorrow, it starts right where you are today, and it’s defiantly not about you. Ask yourself, what can I do today to be of service to those I love and to those I don’t love and stop churning the water.

What happened to Christmas?

I am so sick and tired of the buy, buy, buy mentality that so many people have.

George Carlin does this great bit on people and their stuff.



Honestly, is that what Christmas is all about? Our church did a sermon series on

Unwrapping Christmas. Before the service started they played this video:




It's from the Advent Conspiracy web site where they pose the question,

What happened to Christmas? I encourage you to check it out.

Our minister spoke on Beyond the Feast. He brought up that fact that we all get caught up in buying products and services because of the promises that are made, but when the gadget, food, movie or other object doesn't live up to the promise we are back out there looking for more.

Those promises are never truly going to fulfill us; we gorge ourselves asking the question: is there something more? The answer is yes! There is something more, but we can't find it at Target or the grocery store. We need to use our sight, not our eyes, to guide us, to change our hearts so that we can move into action and make lasting changes in our lives. So that we can

find that lasting hope.

I call you into action, make a difference this holiday season and stop

buying all that stuff.

Exceptional Grace

Remember in school when you learned all the rules. Do you also remember that there are exceptions to rules; like -i before -e except after -c.?

Leviticus, the third book of the Old Testament, contains the laws; including dietary restrictions and rituals of worship, as well as details of ritual cleanliness. Many fundamentalist, people who believe in a strict adherence to the Bible, follow these laws. They live by the rules. Now, that sounds like a very reasonable thing to do; but is really?

In Acts 10: 9-16 Peter is told in a vision to not call anything impure that God has made clean. Now understand that Peter lived by the rules of only eating food that has been cleaned according to the law and now he is being told to eat this food that God has made clean. The story continues in verses 17-28 when Peter is ask to go to a Gentile's house. Jews viewed Gentiles as unclean . For Paul to enter Cornelius home he was saying the he would not call any man impure. Paul was living by the exception to the rules.

The choice is the same for us. Will we be bound by the rules of being friends with people who believe just as we do or will we be more interested in the exceptions. It is not always easy to lay down those rules that we have spent a life time following, but isn't that exactly what God is asking us to do?

I have to believe that God is up to something, and that I should ere on the side of grace. So ask yourself; are you the type of person that lives by the rules? Or are you the type that lives by the exceptions?

How Do You See The World?

When you go to a 3D movie, you have to wear special glasses or you will miss out on the special effects. No one wants to sit in the theater and watch a fuzzy picture while everyone around them is reaching out or dodging the spear aimed at the audience, but don't we do that every day?

Have you ever tried to look at a situation from someone else's perspective? It is not an easy feat. I know I usually think I'm right and everyone else is wrong, but is that really the case? Is it really possible that I am always right and everyone else is just missing the big picture? I have to admit that it is very unlikely that I know more that everyone else. I am like the individual who sits out there without the 3D glasses on wondering why everyone isn't seeing what I'm seeing.

Our sermon was about seeing things differently. Now I'm not much of a Christian praise band music lover, but the band performed Brandon Heath's song Give Me Your Eyes.

The chorus goes something like this:

Give me your eyes for just one second

Give me your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me your love for humanity

Give me your arms for the broken hearted

Ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me your heart for the ones forgotten

Give me your eyes so I can see

In other words, he is asking to see through the eyes of Jesus. If you did try and do that, would you change the decisions you make? Would you change your behavior? Would you still curse that guy who cut you off in traffic if you knew that his son was being rushed to the hospital? Would you refuse to leave a tip to the waiter who spilled your soup because he was distracted by the because he's being evicted for not being able to pay his rent? Many times we miss the opportunities that are right there in front of us. Then we are faced with living with those regrets. I for one, do not want to have a life filled with regrets.

There's a '98 Gwyneth Paltrow movie titled Sliding Doors . After loosing her job Paltrow's character, Helen, has her life take two different paths because of a very small jester. In one story, her life goes on as if she made the tube. Where as in the other version, the door slide closed causing her life to take a very different path.

It can be just that simple for us too. One small event may cause our lives to take a very different path. Or better yet, we could be the one who changes another's life. We could let that guy in front of us so that he can get where he needs to be, or give that deserving waiter a decent tip and allow them to be able to pay their bills. I would like to be able to change my perspective. I want to look at those around me with love and understanding, instead of with a selfish insipid sense of entitlement.

I am going to change the way I see the world....

Are You Suffering from S.A.D.?

With Thanksgiving upon us it's the perfect time to examine what we have to be thankful for. As Americans who live in a country where we can worship freely and voice our opinions without fear of retribution, why is it that we are always complaining? I think the we are just down right ungrateful.

What does it mean to be ungrateful? The dictionary says it's being thankless. I feel like we are blind to the the blessings, we always want more I wish I had this or that. Our pastor calls that condition S.A.D. The S stands for stressed, the A for angry and the D for depressed. Look at 2 Timothy 1:3 tells us

"I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers."

If we have poisoned ourselves with S.A.D. Then what we need to do is stop blaming others and make a decision to change our attitude. Yes, it is a choice and it is up to us to stop magnifying the bad. When we put the negative parts of our life under the microscope they get distorted and we are not able to look at the big picture. So many times we say if God would just speak to me, tell me where to go or what to do, well, guess what He is speaking to us. In Ephesians 5:20 He says,

"always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

To give thanks in all circumstances, this is God's will for us. Not just when things are going well, but all the time we are to give thanks. When we focus on God's blessings we will be blessed.
If you don't believe me just look at this study here. Dr. McCollough and Dr. Emmons conducted a study on gratitude. Basically, people were divide up into several groups. One group was instructed to focus on everything that is wrong in the world while another group was instructed to focus on the goodness. The results were outstanding. The gratitude group was less angry, more energetic, determined, joyful, they exercised more and had fewer illness. I think that says a lot for what ails this country, myself include. We are all suffering from Eeyore syndrome. As you know from the old Winnie the Pooh cartoons, Eeyore was always under a cloud of misery. Let us remember that when we choose to live like that we won't be able to see sun shine through.

Have you ever wondered why people who have been raised in some of the worst circumstances rise above all of that? It's because of their outlook on life. The choices that you make not only have an effect on you, but the effect those around you. I want to use this up in coming holiday to focus on the blessings in my life. To have an attitude of gratitude. I think this simple choice will make a big difference in my life, anyone else willing to give it a try?

24/7

We recently finished a study where the following question was asked: What is our purpose? I got to thinking about how we, so many times, look outside at the world to fill up that emptiness inside of us. If I have the right house or the biggest SUV or I weigh less, then everything will be okay. Why is it that we keep looking for worldly things to fill that emptiness?

Our Bible tell us that our purpose is to worship God. I don't mean for an hour on Sunday mornings. I am talking about worship that effects our whole lives. When we worship, we are to submit to Him, to pay service to Him, to glorify Him, and to make a sacrifice to Him. In Romans 12:1 Paul says that in view of all that God had done for you, you are to present your whole body as a living sacrifice. In other words, we are God's twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. What happens in that hour on Sunday morning should set the stage for every other hour in our lives.

In a recent survey, business owners were asked the simple question, how are you doing? The majority responded by stating that they were tired. I know I feel tired most of the time too. Isaiah 40:30-31 says that those who wait on the Lord will have their strength renewed.

We were asked who we serve? Do we serve God or the all mighty dollar? If I answer that question honestly, I don't like the answer. The Bible tells us that if we don't serve God then we will grow weary. But if we serve the Lord then our strength will be renewed.

So, we are to take our daily tasks and do them as service to God. We were also told that worship takes preparation. How many times have you fixed the kids lunches and laid out their clothes the night before going someplace? When we take that time to prepare for the next day things go much smoother. Worship is the same way. When our lives are all about knowing God, then we will know life. We are to worship everyday and focus on submitting to God then we will know and abundant, joy filled life.

Intentional Parenting

I hear my husband complain all the time about how his employees don't show up for work. I watch on the news as the crime rates rise. I see a society that has become overly permissive . I am not a conservative, but I am not okay with my children being exposed to all of the unhealthy influences out there. If you shrug your shoulders and say, that is just the way things are these days, then you should stop reading right now. A pastor at a church we attended in Arkansas did a series entitled

What if you were meant to change the world?

One week, a staff member went around with a video camera asking people in the community "How would you change the world?" Many of the people interviewed said things like stop world hunger, world peace and the like. Not that those aren't notable aspirations, but maybe we need to start a bit smaller and closer to home. We looked at how we could change the world in our own homes. Our pastor borrowed the title

Raising G-Rated Children in an X-Rated World

He said that if we, as parents, do everything right, our children still have free will just like Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. He suggest that we start by looking at the end product. What do we want our kids to be when they are adults? Do we want them to be well-adjusted? Is being well-adjusted in an x-rated world a good thing? Do we want them to be normal? With the divorce rate being what it is, is normal a good thing? Do we want our children to be popular like Lindsay Loham? The answer to those question is a resounding no for me.

If we want our children to be loving, honest, caring, Christians, we need to ask ourselves what God calls us to be. We need to have a regular dialogue with our children about faith. By God's design, we as parents have the greatest impact upon our children. Ask yourself if your speech is pure? Do the movies you watch, the music you listen to exemplify that of a Godly person? Do you lie? Do you confess your sins? Do you say and do one thing on Sunday and something completely different Monday-Saturday? Having that vision of what the finished products looks like, you can then figure out what it is that you, the parent, need to do in order to reach that goal.

Children do not naturally know right from wrong. As parents we are responsible to guide the family, don't let the children lead. The children will end up mirroring the culture in which they live. What you do, where you go, how the money is spent is the parents responsibility. We as parents need to take back the leadership role. We need to set appropriate boundaries. We also need to examine what values we are imposing when we let the children lead the family? Our pastor suggest that we start listening to the music our children are listen to, read their books, and watch their movies. How are we supposed to know our children, guide them, when we 'respect their privacy?' Remember that our values/choices get distorted by sin. To let a child do as he pleases is not love. Teach your child that bad choices have bad consequences.

We are also called to be thoughtful with our discipline. The purpose of discipline is not only to punish, but it is also to guide. It's not the child that is bad, it's his behavior, his choices. My son asked me one time why he was always getting grounded. I reminded him what choices he had made that caused him to get punished. We never tell our children that they are bad. Not only are we supposed to impress upon our children our values, we are also called to set the standards for fun. There should activities that you do as a family that are fun. Your child should have a belly ache from laughter in your the home.

Are you raising your kids to be the adults you want them to be?

Is Church Shopping a Sin?

I need to preference this by telling you that I have been struggling with the topic of this post for many months. My husband is a restaurant manager and works most Sundays. Whether it's my place or not, I feel a great responsibility for the spiritual direction of this family.
Over the past five years we have moved to three different states. There are many factors to take in consideration when moving. Wanting to find a nice safe home in a good school district is usually on the top of the list for many. Fortunately, being homeschoolers, we haven't had to worry too much with location.
With our first move to Orange Park, Florida we didn't have a problem with what now plagues us. We found a wonderful church home. The Sunday school class we ended up in was young, energetic, and very welcoming. After being members of what I considered to be the ideal church in Hattiesburg we felt very comfortable in this church family.
Less that two years later, my husband's job transferred him. We ended up in what I fondly refer to as the armpit of the south; Monroe, Louisiana. We look for a new church home and settled on a church that had a rotational Sunday school class program much like the one we were involved in, in Hattiesburg. The adult programs were lacking, to say the least. I attempted to start an outreach program for single parents and was told by the other members that they simply didn't have time to do out-reach, but they'd be glad to write me a check.
Fortunately my husband took another job and we relocated to the Natural State. At first we drove 45 to a wonderful church in the Pulaski Heights District of Little Rock. The drive really started to be too much so we started look for a church closer to home. The church we first attended was supposed to have a rotational children's program, but apparently it fell apart during our transition. The minister who had been at that church for 16 years was moving and the members of that church were struggling. I threw myself in to volunteering. I worked in the after school program, taught kids Sunday school, and volunteered at VBS.
Skip ahead two years, there were only two children's Sundays school classes. Attendance was down and budgets weren't getting met. I did anything I could, but I started to feel drained. I wasn't getting refilled.
Through much though, prayer and discussion, we decide to visit some other churches. I actually waited until the pastor left (he resigned his position) because I didn't want to feel like I had jumped ship, given up, like it appeared everyone else had.
Since the Nazarene Church and the Methodist church are very similar in their teachings we visited a Nazarene Church that one of my homeschool friends attended. I loved the people of the Church, but I felt the Nazarene beliefs were a bit to evangelical for my taste.
Last last week we visited another Methodist church. If I could go on a " feeling" I would have joined after that first sermon. As it turns out, in talking to the pastor, his family, and several other members in that Church homeschool too. We plan to return this Sunday, but I think we may have finally found a church home.

God's Grace

This morning we started a new study in our Sunday school class. We are using On This Rock it's about the disciple Peter. We discussed that Peter was very much like any ordinary man. He had a home, a job, and he made mistakes, many of which related to his impulsiveness.
He had a knack for saying and doing things impetuously. I can totally related to sticking my hand up and saying the wrong thing or volunteering to do something, like walk on water, to some how lose faith, and start sinking. I thought it was important to note that Peter was the first disciple and that even though he denied Jesus he was forgiven and went out to lead many to to Christ.
We were ask to think about what discipleship means and how we can grow as disciples of Christ. My understanding of a disciple is that it is anyone who who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of Jesus Christ. I think this is something that we can all do.
In our children's moments this morning Barb had a paper bag and the kids had to guess what she had inside the bag. She gave them lots of clues and finally they guess that she had a light bulb in her bag. She talk to them about how important it is for us to share the light of Christ and not keep it hidden.
I thought that was a wonderful analogy for how many of us tend to hid the light and not share it with others. I think most times I afraid of what others will think and I, like Peter, deny Christ. I don't blatantly deny Him, but I do deny Him by not sharing when the oppertunity presents itself.
Peter was ordinary, as am I and he was called, as am I. I pray that I hear that call and answer it with a life of Christian discipleship.